NCT04121962

A Pilot Peer Mentor Intervention That Trains Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (BMSM) to Use and Promote Uptake of HIV/STI Self-Testing to Peers and Sex Partners: STAR Study (Self-Testing at Your Residence)

Pilot Peer Mentor Intervention to Train Black MSM to Use and Promote Home-based HIV and STI Testing

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 163 (actual)
• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 17 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objectives of the study are to assess the feasibility, reach and preliminary efficacy of a brief intervention that trains Black men who have sex with men \[referred to as Index\] (a) to use home-based testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and (b) promote home-based testing to their peers and sexual partners.

Detailed description

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase one's risk of HIV infection, are serious co-infections that affect HIV clinical outcomes, and remain a risk for individuals using PrEP. Self-testing methods address barriers to clinic-based testing by offering convenience and privacy and have been shown to be well accepted by MSM. Therefore, use of self-testing is a potential approach through which to improve HIV and STI testing rates in MSM. Internet-based distribution (herein: web-based) of STI self-test kits enables an individual to request sampling kits via a website, mail biological specimens (e.g. urethral swabs) to a laboratory for testing, and view test results through a web-based account. Web-based self-HIV oral testing enables an individual to request a test kit, collect an oral specimen, and receive results within 20 minutes. Despite these potential benefits and reports of willingness to use free self-testing, uptake has been low due to barriers such as concerns about accuracy of the tests, apprehension to collect specimens, low risk perception, and the desire for counseling. In the proposed study, investigators will pilot test an intervention that address these barriers by training BMSM with information about the accuracy of the HIV rapid oral test kit, demonstrating how to properly collect specimens for HIV and STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis) self-testing, and providing resources for linkage to HIV and STI treatment and PrEP services. Study participants will utilize a secure website to request test kits.

Conditions

• HIV/AIDS
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Peer Mentor	Participants will be trained to be Peer Mentors and promote home-based testing to their social network
BEHAVIORAL	Website only	Participants will be given instructions on how to use the project website to request kits to test for HIV at home and collect specimens for lab testing.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-05-06
• Primary completion: 2022-03-09
• Completion: 2023-07-11
• First posted: 2019-10-10
• Last updated: 2024-05-20
• Results posted: 2024-05-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States